Internal-combustion-engine oil rectifier



NQVI 927 R. L. SKINNER INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE OIL RECTIFIER Original Filed June 15 6 5525... WVQRE QR Q R wh ww Patented Nov. 29, 1927.

RALPH L. sxmnan, or erson, MICHIGAN, AssIeNoR r sxmnnn ao'romo'rrvn DEVICE 00., Inc, or nn'rnorr, MICHIGAN, A conronarron or cALIronnIA.

INTEBNAL-COMBUSTION-ENGINE OIL RECTIFIER.

Original application filed June 155-1925, Serial No. 37,157. Divided and this application filed October 14 1927. Serial No. 226,092. 2

My invention pertains to featuresof novelty in the systems employed in association with internal-combustion engines which purify the lubricating oil, or which prevent it o from becoming contaminated, or which accomplish both results more or less conjointly.

One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus or system of=this general character which will withdraw the 1 aerated lubricant substantially continuously- Various other features of novelty and im- I provement will be made apparent from a detailed understanding of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings throughout the several views of which like reference characters have been used to designate the same parts.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of the construction, illustrating its manner of operating;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the heating portion of the rectifier;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View of the means employed to adjust the amount of heat to which the separator is subjected.

In this structure, which depicts only one cylinder of a multi-cylinder internal-combustion engine, having any approved style of lubrication system, the engine cylinder 10, water-cooled at its upper portion, accommodates the usual reciprocatory piston 11 and the latter has an extension 12 on its skirt in alinement with apoit 13 through the cylinder side wall, the piston'having a plurality of piston-ring grooves 14,- 15 and 1 6 and their corresponding piston-rings 17 18 and 19, the lower groove 16, inwardly of 1ts ring, being joined to a'lengthwise channel 21 on the surface of the piston in register with the cylinder port 13, such lower groove opposite the port having'an air-inlet port 22 extended inwardly through the piston wall to the hollow interior thereof which is in direct connection with the interior of the crank-case.

This is a known construction as presented in my United States Patent No. 1, 502,- 922, internal-combustion engine construction, granted July 29, 1924.

Port 13 is joined by a pipe 23 to a rightangle passage 24 in the casting 25, an ad jacent right-angle passage 26 in such cast- 7 ing connecting with a pipe 27 joined to the intake-manifold of the engine as a source of suction.

This casting 25 is covered by a shell or casing 28 secured thereto around its periphery by a plurality of screws 29 and forming therewith a separation or distillation chamber characterized 30.

Such member 28 is housed Within and inwardly spaced from an outer shell 31 of the shape shown in the drawings and having an inturned, lower,'marginal, circular flange 32 engaging the outer face of the inner shell,

the element 31 being fastened by screws 32, or in any other convenient manner, to the laterally-apertured exhaust-manifold 20 of the engine, whereby the hot exhaust gases or a portion of them may flow through the space between the two shells and heat the contents of chamber 30 as will be readily understood. f

In order to prevent a direct play of such hot gases on the inner shell 28, a curved deflector 33 forms a part of the outer casing member and directs the gases around the annular or arcuate space between the nested shells. i c

To control the heating effect, a. hinged valve 34 is provided, the hinge-pin 35 thereof in the member 31 having a slotted plate 100 36 fastened thereto above the casing with a securing screw 37 extended through its curved slot and taking into the element 31, whereby the degree of opening or closing of the valve may be easily brought about and the valve maintained in adjusted position.

Thus the distillation or refinement chamber may be heated in adequate or proper degreefby the heat developed by the engine itsel In some localities a substantial amount of heat will be needed to accomplish the best results and in other places possibly no heat at all will be required.

A cup 41 is secured centrally on the top of the casting 25 by means of a hollow threaded connector 42 extended through a central hole in the bottom of the cup into the upper end of the passage 26, the upright section of which is in the centerof the casting as is clearly illustrated.

An inverted; apertured, shallow, cup deflector 43 is interposed between the bottom wall of cup 41 and the top face of the casting, the connector 42 extending through such intermediate member as is fully shown.

A central stand-pipe 44 is mounted on the connector and its upper end is surrounded by a larger, inverted, cup-shaped deflector 45 carried on the under face of the top wall of shell 28.

An upright vent pipe 46 extends down throu h registering holes in the two members 41 an 43 and projects upwardly in the cup 41 outside of the deflector 45 almost to the top of the former.

A vertical passage 51 extends down through the casting 25 in register at its upper end with holes through theparts 41 and 43 so that it is in communication with the interior of the cup 41, all as is clearly shown in Figure 1.

The lower portion of the chamber 30 in the casting 25 is connected to the passage 51 by an inclined port 52 designed to be opened and closed by an inclined valve 53 loosely mounted in the end portion of a horizontal, tilted, bi-metal thermostat 54 secured near its other end at 55 by an adjusting screw to a sloping boss 56 forming part of the castmg.

The inclination or tilt of the thermostat is for the purpose of facilitating its mounting on the casting.

A pipe or tube 57 connects the lower end of passage 51 to the interior of a pump casin 58 accommodating a vane pump 59 rotated in any approved manner preferably by power derived from the engine itself, such casing having a discharge connection 61 delivering to the engine crank-case or other part of the lubricating system, whereby the reclaimed oil will be returned to such crankcase or system.

The connection 61 contains a ball checkvalve 62 adapted under certain conditions to close the port joining the pump casing with the connection.

' The operation of the appliance occurs practically as follows, assuming that the engine is comparatively cold and is just being started.

The suction of the engine intake-manifold. acting through the pipe 27, passage 26, the separating or distillation chamber 30, passage 24, tube 23, cylinder-port 13, and longitudinal channel 21, withdraws the aerated, more or less frothy or foamy oil from the lower piston-ring groove 16 behind the piston-ring 19, the air admitted through the port 22 being for the purpose of breaking th vacuum to effect an efficient delivery of the oil from the groove and to aerate the oil so that it may be more readily purified in the distillation chamber.

Thus suction not only withdraws the excess oil in aerated condition but it also draws off with the lubricating oil any intercepted gases of combustion, vapors, and fuel in gaseous or liquid form tending to pass down by the piston rings into the crank-case, whereby the oil entering the distillation chamber incorporates gases and gasifiable contaminating ingredients which it is desired to get rid of because they would seriously impair the lubricating qualities of the oil if they were permitted to find their way into the crank-case.

Hence this appliance prevents the main body of lubricating oil in the crank-case from becoming fouled by the descent thereinto of objectionable gases or liquids tending to escape past the pistons and it also pre-- cludes any excess oil from passing upwardly by the piston-rings into the combustion chambers where it would produce objectionable carbon.

The engine being cool on startin the thermostatic valve 35 closes the oil de ivery port 52.

The impure aerated oil enters the chamber 30 through the port 24 beneath the deflector 43 and the free air, gases and vapors flow up through the pipe 46, then down in the cup 41 between the wall of the latter and the smaller inverted cup 45, then up in the latter, and thence down through the ipe 44, passage 26 and pipe 27 into the intake manifold for consumption or combustion in the cngine, all as will be readily understood. a

Any small amount of entrained oilin such gases is thrown down in the cup.41, by reason of the tortuous path traveled by the gases, and flows out through passage 51 and pipe 57 to the pump 59.

The main body of oil, however, is deflected into and collects in the lower part of the chamber 30, and, as the engine heats up and heats the shell 28 by its hot exhaust gases, the oil builds up or accumulates in the annular space between the members 28 and i1, where it is adequately heated to distill off its gasifiable ingredients which are drawn over into the intake-manifold, and the oil flows over into the cup 41 from which it passes down into the pump.

As soon as the engine and separating chamber have becomeheated sufficiently so that the oil itself is hot enough not to require heating in the distillation chamber, the thermostat immersed in the hot oil will open port 52 thus affording a direct oil delivery connection between the lower part of-chamber 30 and the oil-delivery pipe 57 and the accumulated oil immediately drains out through the connection.

As a result, the oil does not thereafter flow up through the annular space between the members 28 and 41, and, consequently, it is not materially additionally heated in the chamber. e

Such a construction and mode of operation eliminates the possibility of the formation of objectionable carbon by reason of the per-- formance of the oil rectification or distillation operation. 7

The reclaimed or purified oil flowing down the pipe 57 enters the pump and the latter discharges it back into the engine crank-case or other part of the lubricating system under atmospheric pressure, it being obvious, that,

owing to the differences in pressure in the separation or distillation chamber and in the crank-case, such a pump or its equivalent, is necessary to effect the discharge against the higher pressure.

The pump should be of a capacity to return without delay the maximum quantity of oil which would be delivered into the separating chamber under any running conditions of the engine, but it should not pump gases back into the lubricating system.

If the pump delivers its oil into the crankcase below the level of the surface of the oil therein, the crank-case oil itself will form a proper seal for the pump under all ordinary conditions, but if the pump delivers its oil to the crank-case above the oil level therein, then when the amount or quality of oil passing through the pump is incapable of keeping the latter constantly sealed, or when the pump is unduly worn or when the engine is first started and no oil seal is available, the check-valve 62, by closing, prevents air under atmospheric pressure from passing reversely through the pump from the crankcase and interfering with or destroying the vacuum in the distillation chamber or pump intake connection 57 and hence preventing the delivery of the oil into the pump.

Thus it will be erceived that the aerated impure or polluted oil is continuously withdrawn from around the engine pistons so long as the engine is running and the oil, as soon as reclaimed or freed from its gasi- -fiable impurities, is fed back to the lubricat- This application is a division of my copending patent application Serial No. 37,- 157, internal combustion engine oil rectifying systems, filed June 15, 1925.

I claim: r

1. A lubricant rectifying-chamber having means to connect it'to the lubrication system of an internal-combustion engine, means to connect it to a source of suction, and a delivery passage for the discharge of the reclaimed lubricant, means to heat said chamber, and a thermostatically-controlled valve governing a port connecting the lower portion of said chamber to said delivery passage at a point below that at which the latter receives lubricant from the chamber when such valve is closed.

2. A rectifying-chamber having means to connect the lower portion to the lubrication system of an internal-combustion engine, means to connect the upper portion of the interior of the chamber to a source of suction, and a passage for the delivery of the reclaimed lubricant from thechamber, in

combination with a cu -shaped member in said chamber spaced rom the side walls and above said lubrication entrance to defiect the entering lubricantdownwardly, a heater around said chamber, and a gas vent through said deflector into said cup.

3. A rectifying-chamber having means to connect the lower portion to the lubricatipn system of an internal-combustion engine, means to connect the upper portion of the interior of the chamber to a source of suction, and a passage for the delivery of the reclaimed lubricant from the chamber, in combination with a cup-shaped member in said chamber spaced from the side walls thereof, means below the bottom of said cup and above said lubrication entrance to deflect the entering lubricant downwardly, a heater around said chamber, and a gas vent through and above the lubrication entrance to the chamber to deflect the entering lubricant downwardly, a heater around said chamber, a gas vent through said deflector into said cup-shaped member, and a thermostaticallycontrolled valve governing a port connecting the lower portion of said chamber to said delivery passage at a point below that at which the latter receives lubricant from said cup-shaped member when such valve is closed. v

5. A lubricant rectifying-chamber having means to connect its lower portion to the lubrication system of an internal-combustion engine, means to connect the upper portion of the interior of the chamber to a. source of suction, and a passage for the delivery of the reclaimed lubricant from said chamber, in combination with a cup-shaped member in said chamber spaced from the side walls thereof and connected to said passage, means below the bottom of said cup and above the lubrication entrance to the chamber to deflect the entering lubricant downwardly, a heater around said chamber, a gas vent through said deflector, and a thermostatically-controlled valve governing a port connecting the lower portion of said chamber to said delivery passage at a point below that at which the latterreceives lubricant from said cup-shaped member when such valve is closed.

6. A lubricant rectifyin chamber having means to connect it to the lubrication system of an internal-combustion engine and a delivery passage for the discharge of the reclaimed lubricant, means to heat said chamber, and a thermostatically-controlled valve governing a port connecting the lower portion of said chamber to said delivery-passage.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RALPH L. SKINNER. 

